Match-box.



UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

MATCH-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentea'sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed February 8, 1906. Serial No. 300,146.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WORTHINGTON S. BAKER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Boxes, of which the follow, ing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in match-boxes; and the invention has for its primary object the provision of novel means in connection with a match-box for delivering one match at a time direct to the hand of a person desiring a match or operating the match-box.

My invention aims to provide a match-box particularly adapted for public use in cigarstores or such stores where matches are ordinarily dispensed. In this connection I have devised a match-box which will present a neat and attractive appearance and add to the fixtures of a store wherein it is used.

To this end I have devised a match-box wherein positive and reliable means are embodied for delivering one match at a time, the match being delivered whereby it may be easily and quickly `grasped by the person operating the match-box.

I am aware of match-boxes having been devised for delivering one matchv at a time; but to the best of my knowledge it has always been necessary to make two movements to obtain a match-namely, to move a lever or handle of the match-box by a person and then to move the hand to grasp or grip the match being delivered.

My invention obviates the above defect for delivering the match in close proximity to the operating rod or lever of my improved match-box, whereby the rod or handle may be operated and the match gripped without removing the hand, thus making it practically one operation of obtaining a match.

The detail construction, together with the novel mechanism by which I accomplish the above result, will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and, referring to the drawings accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of amatch-box constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a plan of the box, the

top thereof being removed and one of the partitions thereof being broken away to clearly show the interior construction of the box.

To put my invention into practice, I construct my improved match-box of two side walls 1 1, a rear wall 2, a front wall 3, and a base plate or board 4. The side walls 1 1 are provided with depending ridges 5 5 and lugs 6 6, which are adapted to fit in openings formed in the base plate or board 4, thereby firmly holding the side walls, together with the rear wall 2 and the front wall 3,upon the base. The side walls l 1 have their exterior sides suitably ornamented, while upon the front side of the wall 3 may be arranged a suitable advertisement or display-card. The upper edges of the side walls 1 1 are curved and are connected together by a curved plate 7, forming a ledge or gutter 8, the object of which will be presently described. The box formed by the walls ljust described is provided with a curved lid or top 9, said lid being hinged, as at 10, to the rear wall 2 of the box. r'Phe exposed surface of the lid or top 9 may be provided with an advertisement or display-card similar to the front wall 3 of the vbox or may be provided with directions for obtaining a match from the interior of the box.

The box is provided with a transverse inclined partition 11, upon which the matches are adapted to rest. The one end of the partition 11 extends within close proximity to a transverse plate 12, arranged within the box, said plate extending upwardly about midway between the one end of the partition 11 and the curved plate 7, the upper edge of the plate 12 being beveled, as at 14. Between the transverse plate 12 and the front wall 3 of the box is mounted a transverse partition 15, the upper edge of which extends above the front wall 3 of the box and is provided with a central opening 16, the object of which will be presently described. The lower edge of the partition 15 is provided with a central opening 1 7, and slid ably mounted between the plate 12 and the partition 15 is a main delivery-plate 18, the lower edge of said plate having a central opening 19, adapted to register with the opening 17 of the partition 15. The main delivery-plate 18 extends within close proximity to the beveled vedge 14 of the plate 12, thus forming a groove 20 between the upper edge of the plate 12 and the artition 15. Slidably mounted between the IOO lower edge of the partition 11 and the plate 12 is a primary delivery-plate 21, the lower edge of said plate having an opening 22 formed therein adapted to aline with the openings 19 and 17 of the main deliveryplate 18 and the partition 15. The upper edge of the primary delivery-plate 21 is adapted to lie flush with the top surface of the partition 1 1, whereby matches carried by said partition will descend and rest upon the top beveled edge 23 of the primary deliveryplate 21.

Between the partition 15 and the front wall 3 are mounted guide-blocks 24 24, and extending through said guide-blocks is a vertically-disposed actuating-rod 25, carrying upon its upper end a handle or button 26, which lies in close proximity to the central opening 16 of the partition 15. The lower end of the actuating-rod 25 engages the end 27 of a lever 28,fulcrumed upona transverse shaft or rod 29, mounted in bearing-blocks 30 30, carried by the base plate or board 4 of the box. The lever 28 is preferably constructed of wire, which is bent substantially as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The rearwardly-extending ends 31 31 of the lever 28 are adapted to engage the transverse arms 32 32 of a wire frame 33, said Jframe being pivoted within the side walls 1 1 of the box, as at 34 34. The forwardly-extending ends 35 35 of the wire frame 33 are adapted to engage the lower edges of the primary delivery-plate 21 and the main delivery-plate 18, whereby when the actuating-rod 25 is depressed said plates will be elevated in unison.

In operation some of the matches supported by the inclined transverse partition 1 1 are adapted to lie over the upper beveled edge 23 of the primary delivery-plate 21, and as the actuating-rod 25 is depressed the elevation of the primary delivery-plate 21 through the medium of the lever 28 and the wire Jframe 33 will elevate one of said matches to the beveled edge 14 of the transverse plate 12, where the match will lie until the primary delivery-plate 21 and the main deliveryplate 18 return to their normal position, (the main delivery-plate having been simultaneously elevated with the primary deliveryplate,) thus permitting the match to drop into the groove 20, formed at the top edge of the main delivery-plate 18. When the match-box is continuously used, a match will always lie within the groove 20,-the operation just described of elevating a match to said groove only being necessary after the box has been reiilled.

By depressing the actuating-rod 25 the match retained within the groove 20 will be elevated to the top edge of the partition 15 between thetransverse edge of the curved plate 7 and the central opening 16 of the partition 15.

In the operation of depressing the actuating-rod 25 the thumb of a persons hand is most conveniently used, and as the thumb depresses the actuating-rod the match will be carried upwardly between the thumb and the foreiinger of a person s hand, thus permitting of the match being easily gripped and removed from the match-box. Simultaneously with this operation a match is being elevated by the primary delivery-plate 21 to the upper edge of the plate 14, from where it descends into the groove 2O when the main delivery-plate 18 returns to its normal position. Should for any unforeseen reason the match not be gripped by a persons hand when operating the match-box, the match will descend into the ledge or gutter 8 of the curved plate 7, from where it may be easily removed at any desired time.

Should a person desire four or iive matches prior to using any one of them, the actuatingrod may be operated successively until four or five matches have been delivered into the ledge or gutter 8 of the plate 7, at which time all of said matches may be removed in one operation. I

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have devised novel means for positively delivering a match direct into a person s hand who is operating the match-box, thus not necessitating a second movement of the hand after the mechanism of the box has been operated.

I preferably construct my improved matchbox of wood, but light and durable metal may be readily used and embossed to present a neat and attractive appearance. Such changes in the construction and operation of my improved match-box as are permissible by the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A match-box embodying a base, side walls, a rear wall and a front wall, a curved plate carried by the upper edge of the side walls, an inclined partition mounted between said sidewalls, a transverse plate mounted between said side walls at the lower edge of said partition, a primary delivery-plate mounted between said partition andA said transverse plate, a partition mounted between said transverse plate and said front wall, a main delivery-plate slidably mounted between said partition and said transverse plate, an actuating-rod mounted between said partition and the front wall of said box, means actuated by the depression of said rod to simultaneously elevate said deliveryplates.

2. A match-box embodying a base, side walls, a iront wall and a rear wall, a top with a delivery-opening, an inclined partition mounted within said side walls, a plurality of movable delivery-plates mounted between lOO IOS

FIO

the lower edge of said partition and said front wall, said delivery-plates being of different length7 a transverse plate disposed between said delivery-plates, an actuating-rod mounted between one of said delivery-plates and said front wall and extending to the top of the box adjacent the delivery-opening, means actuated by the depression of said rod to elevate said delivery-platesI said trans- 1o verse plate serving to support a match in an elevated position while the delivery-plates are being moved, and said top being provided with means adjacent the upper end of said rod to receive a match.

In testimony whereof I a'HiX my signature r 5 in the presence of two witnesses.

WORTHINGTON S. BAKER. Witnesses:

JOHN STEvENsoN, K. H. BUTLER. 

